Posted this on another site (torco) but depending on were this one goes I'll post it here.
It was a mistake no doubt, but the guys that made it have to live with the consequences. Not sure what everybody does on this board, but I for one work full time in Emergency services (Firefighter/Paramedic). Much like these guys (safety safari) you are forced to make quick decisions with limited information, it's not always easy, the decision isn't always right. It's easy to look back with HD instant replays and elevated angles and say, "wow they screwed up", but not so easy from their perspective. It's not like a bad call flipping burgers, approving loans, or fixing cars, when you make a bad call in emergency services sometimes people die, and thats something you have to live with, much like the Safari guys, I'm sure he/she is still beating themselves up. So before the wagon gets too full of people bashing, just remember what they do and how they have to do it. NHRA did a stand-up thing and admitted they were wrong. The mistake actually kicked the body off and kept him from being enclosed with fire/smoke for another few minutes/seconds, and Luck/God was on his side and he glanced it and only lost a chassis. It's racing, thats how it goes, if it was safe you wouldn't have to wear a helmet.
Not trying to lessen what happened to Tony, and he has a right to feel how he wants (my guess is he hold no ill will about it), but people in emergency services do the best they can with what they have (information and equipment). Nobody goes into it thinking, "I'm going to be overzealous even if it means I may kill someone".
